The present invention relates primarily to the field of robotics; more particularly to a unique mechanical structure for mounting the gripper fingers on the end of a hydraulic manipulator arm. In such robotic manipulators, it is desirable to have a compliant member interposed between the manipulator arm and a gripper to reduce shocks to the extremely expensive hydraulic systems of the manipulator itself either to collision of the manipulator with other objects or when excessive forces are applied via the hydraulic system to an object being gripped. It is also desirable that such forces be resolved to the manipulator structure orthogonally, the mechanism may better be designed to resist such forces then when directly applied as diagonal, non-orthogonal forces.
It is usually necessary with most complex robotic manipulators, to accurately sense the forces applied to the gripper fingers whereby appropriate control signals may be fed back to the hydraulic control mechanisms which control the overall robotic system operation.